Remote interactive media

ABSTRACT

Embodiments allow a user to connect a central control unit to remote interactive media via wireless network, and allow a client side to connect the remote interactive media to the central control unit via wireless network, after which the user can send to the remote interactive media messages or instructions via the central control unit. At the same time, the remote interactive media collects the information from the client side and transmits it to the central control unit which is directly controlled by the user, enhancing the communications between the central control unit on the control side and the remote interactive media on the client side. This way allows communication to be more interesting and is completely different from traditional media for remote interaction.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present application relate generally to communicationsystems and methods through remote interactive media and its useinstructions.

BACKGROUND

Many toy products attract children's attention by sounds and movements,while high-tech toy products have embedded intelligent software thatreacts to the response of children. For example, some toys can repeatwhat the child said. However, existing toys do not have the capabilityof interacting remotely, or can be used as a media of remoteinteraction.

Current media used for remote interaction often refers to mobileterminals such as portable computers and cell phones. And the majorityof interactions are through direct video and audio interactions only.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present application provide a method of communicationthrough remote interaction media. In one embodiment, the followingscheme may be employed:

The ‘remote interaction media’ referred to herein may include eitherreal or virtual media that serves as client side terminals that arecontrolled by a central control unit. Through the central control unit,the user can issue instructions, send information, control the remoteinteraction media to send out information and to collect the informationand/or instructions from the client side simultaneously, and to sendback the information collected to the central control unit in themeanwhile.

Through the above scheme, one can enable more intelligent, appropriate,real-time, and diversified means of interactions with the clients (e.g.,children) under the control of a user connected to the central controlunit, which is completely different from the usual reciprocal reactionand interaction that relies on pre-set control sequences and can thusachieve different perceived performance and new user experience thanexisting digital and non-digital toys.

To achieve better technical effect and improve user experience, someembodiments may involve the following technical developments:

Include voice, behavior, and audio-visual signals in the informationthat can be emitted by the remote interaction media.

Include voice, behavior, and various other sensor signals (e.g.,audio-visual) in the information that can be collected and transmittedby the remote interaction media.

The central control unit and/or the remote interaction media can have avoice changer integrated that alters the voice message so that the userorally communicates with the central control unit.

Through the above techniques, some embodiments, when put into practicaluse, can enable the user (e.g., parents) to role-play by takingadvantages of the various means of communication and informationpresentation enabled by the remote interaction media, bringing a richand diversified set of new user experience to the end users.

The remote interaction system may be appropriate for children to use andprovides rich, multi-modal interaction experience for such users. Forthis purpose, some embodiments may include:

The system may include both a client side remote interaction media and acorresponding central control unit that controls it. The remoteinteraction media may include a power module, an interaction module, anda control module. The control module is equipped with the wirelesscommunication functionality and can receive the information collectedand transmitted by the interaction module, receive the information andinstructions sent from the central control unit, and transmit them tothe interaction module. The power module provides power for the controland the interaction modules. In the central control unit, centralcontrol software may communicate with the control module in theinteraction media via wireless networks, receives the information fromthe control module and sends instructions and information to the controlmodule.

Via the above-mentioned techniques, the user can send instructions toremote interactive media through the main control module software andrespond in a proper and diversified form based on the informationreceived from the interactive media, therefore enabling effectivereal-time communication. In particular, when the user is a parent andthe client is a child, this invention allows the parent to do role-playand to interact with their child in a deep and meaningful way, throughthe remote interactive media.

To achieve better technical effect and improve user experience, thisinvention may involve the following technical developments such as tointegrate with a voice changer module at the remote interactive mediaand/or central control unit sides. This voice changer will be used tochange the parent's voice to that of the role he/she tries to play,reinforcing the effect of role-play.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide the use instructionsfor the abovementioned remote interaction system, including thefollowing:

Step 1: The user of the central control unit connects to the remoteinteractive media on the Internet through wireless network, or to theclient side via wireless network that connects the remote interactivemedia to the central control unit on the Internet;

Step 2: The user sends instructions and messages to the remoteinteractive media via the central control software;

Step 3: The remote interactive media collects information and/orinstruction from the client side and transmits it to the central controlunit; and

Step 4: The remote interactive media responds according to theinformation and/or instructions;

Steps 2-4 can overlap in time.

Embodiments allow a user to connect a central control unit to remoteinteractive media via wireless network, and allow a client side toconnect the remote interactive media to a central control unit viawireless network, after which the user can send to the remoteinteractive media messages or instructions via the central control unit.At the same time, the remote interactive media collects the informationfrom the client side and transmits it to the central control unit whichis directly controlled by the user, enhancing the communications betweenthe central control unit on the control side and the remote interactivemedia on the client side. This way allows communication to be moreinteresting and is completely different from traditional media forremote interaction.

According to one aspect: a communication method through remoteinteractive media, comprises: providing a remote interactive media thatis either real or virtual media and is located on an apparatus that islocated at the client side; providing a central control unit on auser-controller client side at a user's device, wherein a user controlsthe apparatus remotely from the user's device located at the user sidesuch that the apparatus at the client side and the user's device at theuser side are remote from each other; sending, from the central controlunit of the user's device, instructions or messages through the centralcontrol unit, to control the remote interactive media to instruct theapparatus to perform actions and to send information from the apparatusto the user's device, and at the same time as the sending theinstructions or messages, the remote interactive media collects theinformation and instructions from the apparatus and sends the collectedinformation and collected instructions to the central control unit ofthe user's device.

According to another aspect: a remote interaction system comprises acentral control unit and a controlled side remote interactive media thatis remote from the central control unit. The controlled side remoteinteractive media comprises a power module, an interaction module and acontrol module. The interaction module is controlled by the centralcontrol unit and comprises a multimedia interaction device and an actioninteraction device. The central control unit has a wirelesscommunication function, receives the information collected by theinteraction module, sends the information to the central control unit,receives information or instructions from the central control unit andtransmits the information or instructions to the interaction module. Thepower module provides power supply to the interaction module and thecentral control unit. The central control unit includes a main controlmodule software which communicates with the control module of the saidmedia via a network, receives the information from the control module,and sends instructions and information to the central control unit inthe remote interactive media.

According to yet another aspect: a method of using a remote interactionsystem comprises: establishing a connection, using a processor, betweena main control module software of a user device and a remote interactivemedia of an apparatus via a wireless network, wherein the user deviceand apparatus are separate devices on the network; sending, via a maincontrol module software of the user device, information and instructionsto the remote interactive media; collecting, at the remote interactivemedia, the information and instructions from the remote interactivemedia and transmitting the data to the central control unit of the userdevice; and using an embedded software program at the apparatus,controlling the apparatus to react according to the information orinstructions.

According to yet another aspect: a method of a medical user to interactwith a patient, comprising: providing a toy to the patient, wherein aremote interactive media is embedded in the toy; sending, from ahardware processor of a user's device of the medical user, instructionsor messages through a central control unit of the user's device tocontrol the remote interactive media of the toy to instruct the toy toperform actions, and at the same time as the sending the instructions ormessages, the remote interactive media collects information from the toyabout the patient for diagnosis purposes and sends the collectedinformation and collected instructions to the central control unit ofthe user's device.

According to yet another aspect: a method of a teacher to role-play withstudents learning to speak a language, comprising: providing a toy tothe students, wherein a remote interactive media is embedded in the toy;sending, from a hardware processor of a device of the teacher, voicedata of through a main control module of the teacher's device to controlthe remote interactive media of the toy to instruct the toy to speakusing the voice data, and at the same time as the sending theinstructions or messages, the remote interactive media collectsaudio/video data from the toy about the students and sends the collectedaudio/video data to the main control module of the teacher's device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present invention is further described in the detaileddescription which follows in reference to the noted plurality ofdrawings by way of non-limiting examples of embodiments of the presentinvention in which like reference numerals represent similar partsthroughout the several views of the drawings and wherein:

FIG. 1. A diagram of a method of communication through remoteinteractive media according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2. A system diagram a remote interaction system according to someembodiments.

FIG. 3. A flow chart of a method for operating a remote interactionmedia system according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

A discussion of some aspects of the invention will now be discussed withreference to the figures, which are only exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, embodiments of this application are directed tomethods 100 and 300 and systems 200 of communication via remoteinteractive media 104. The remote interactive media 104 can be eitherreal or virtual media. The remote interactive media 104 is located onthe controlled client side which is the corresponding controller side.The user 202 controls the remote interactive media 104 to send outmessages via controlling a central control unit 102 to issueinstructions or messages. The remote interactive media 104simultaneously collects the information and/or instructions from theclient side and sends such data to the central control unit 102.

The remote interactive media 104 may be located within an apparatus 220,such as a child's toy. In one embodiment, the remote interactive media104 is completely located within the apparatus 220 so that the childdoes not see the remote interactive media 104 believes the apparatusitself is performing actions. In another embodiment, the remoteinteractive media 104 is only partially within the apparatus 220. In yetanother embodiment, the remote interactive media 104 is attached to theapparatus 220 in any manner.

The data/information that can be emitted by the remote interactive media104 may include audio, behavior, and/or audio-visual data/information.

The information that can be collected by the remote interactive media104 may include video, audio, and/or sensor information.

Thus, according to one embodiment, the system 200 allows forsimultaneous and instantaneous two-way communications between the userdevice 206 of the user side and the apparatus 220 of the client sideover a network. In this regard, while data is being transmitted to theapparatus 220 from the user device 206, the user device 206 also maytransmit data from the apparatus 220 to the user device 206. Such datatransmissions may be of any data, as discussed herein below. Forexample, the data that may be transmitted to/from the apparatus and/orto/from the user device may be audio data, sensor-collected data, videodata, or any other data.

The data may be transmitted at any time, or simultaneous with any otherdata communications. For example, the data transmitted to the userdevice 206 may be sent in response to data collected at the apparatus220, and vice versa. Also, the data transmitted to the user device 206may be sent simultaneously with data collected at the apparatus 220, asmentioned above. The timing of the transmission and receipt of data mayvary and it is within the present invention to include all permutationsof data transmission timing.

The central control unit 102 and/or remote interactive media 104 willperform voice changing operation on the user's voice message sent to thecentral control unit 102. In this regard, the user's voice is receivedby the central control unit 102 and is audibly altered prior to beingpresented at the client side, such as by changing the pitch, tone,accent, frequency and other audible characteristics so that the voice ispurposely changed so that the client 204 on the client side perceives avoice message with different audible characteristics.

The remote interactive media 104 mentioned in this disclosure, theso-called controlled side on the client side, can take the form of toyssuch as a teddy bear, a Barbie doll, or take the form of a virtualcharacter such as QQ pets, or take some other real/virtual forms, or anyother toy or object that the controlled side can be controlled by thecentral control unit for communication. In this regard, the client side,as shown in FIG. 2 may be completely (or partially) embodied in a toy,such as a teddy bear, a doll, a toy vehicle, a book or any other toy.This allows the user to communicate remotely over a network 208 so thatthe client believes the sounds are coming from the toy itself instead offrom the user (or instead of potentially recognizing the user's voice).

In this application, the central control unit 102 corresponding to theremote interactive media is directly controlled by the user 202 and canbe implemented as a remote controlled system embedded with the controlmodule software 210, or as simply as a control module software (App) 210installed on a computer or cell phone through which the user can controlthe remote interactive media. Thus, element 206 may be a computingdevice, such as a user's cell phone or could be implemented on any othercomputing device, such as a computer.

The client 204 of the client side mentioned in this disclosure may referto the communication targets of the remote interactive media, whichcould be children or adults. The user 202 can disguise himself inrole-playing purpose through the use of this remote interactive mediasystem 200, which can be especially useful when the client 204 on theclient side is one or more children. Children may not know that theapparatus 220 with the remote interactive media 104 is controlled by thecentral control unit 102, but that does not hinder the communicationbetween the child and the remote interactive media and even facilitatesthe communication.

In operation, the remote interactive media 104 collects data and theinstructions of the user 204 of the client side. Such data includesaudio-visual information and the various data collected by input outputdevices 234 (e.g., sensors, camera, microphones, etc.). The remoteinteractive media 104 transmits such gathered data and user instructionsto the central control unit 102 over network 208, waits for theinformation and instructions from the user 202 of the central controlunit 102, reacts to such information and instructions accordinglythrough the embedded software 210, and converts such information andinstructions to audio-visual and audio-optical data as output via theinput/output devices 216 (e.g., display screen, speaker, etc.) of thecontrol unit 102.

One portion of this apparatus 200 is to enable and facilitatecommunications through remote interactive media, which is situatedbetween the user and the client side and reacts via emitting sounds andactions (via input/output devices 234) according to the instructions andmessages sent by the user 202 of the central control unit 102 via themain control module 230. This system 200 allows for more diversifiedinteractions and communications between people. The media can be eitherreal or virtual and is able to collect and transmit information, receiveinstructions and convert it to sounds and/or actions, and to collect theclient side information (and instructions) and send it to the centralcontrol unit, enabling effective real-time communications.

It is noted that software module 210 may be stored in memory 214 of thecentral control unit 102. Software module 210 may be accessed frommemory 214 and run on a processor 212 associated with central controlunit 102. Similarly, power module 222, interaction module 224, andcontrol module 230 of the remote interactive media 104 may be stored inmemory 236 of the remote interactive media 104. Power module 222,interaction module 224, and control module 230 may be accessed frommemory 236 and run on a processor 232 associated with remote interactivemedia 104.

Additionally, the main control module 210 of the central control unit102 may include graphical user interfaces (“GUIs”). The main controlmodule 210 may present one or more predetermined GUIs to permit the userto input/select data into the system 102, direct the remote interactivemedia 104 to perform certain functions or allow the user to input anyother data and/or define settings. The GUIs may be predetermined and/orpresented in response to the user (or client) attempting to performoperations, queries or enter information and/or settings. The GUIs canbe custom-defined and execute in conjunction with other modules anddevices on the central control unit 102 or the remote interactive media104, such as I/O devices 216, 234, any modules (e.g., software module210) to interface with the central control unit 102, or any other module(power module 222, interaction module 224, and control module 230) ofthe remote interactive media 104 or of the central control unit 102.

As mentioned above, the central control unit 102 and the remoteinteractive media 104 may include one or more input devices, outputdevices or combination input and output device, collectively I/O devices216, 234. I/O devices 216, 234 may include a speaker, microphone,sensors, or similar means to control/operation of or receive datarelated to interaction features described herein. I/O devices 216, 236may also include disk drives or devices for reading computer media,including computer-readable or computer-operable instructions.

Network 208 may be a local area network (LAN) or wide area network(WAN), such as the Internet. It should be noted that the presentapplication could work without a network such as via a short rangeconnection or a wired connection between central control unit 102 andthe remote interactive media 104.

Processor 212 of central control unit 102 and processor 232 of theremote interactive media 104 may perform one or more functions asdescribed herein. That is, some of the features or functions of thepresently described methods may be performed by processor 212, and otherfeatures or functions of the presently described methods may beperformed by processor 232. In another embodiment, all of the featuresor functions of the presently described methods may be performed byprocessors 212 and 232 in conjunction with each other. In any event, theprocessor may function to call data or computer instructions from memory(214 or 236).

Some exemplary examples are provided below.

Implementation Example 1

A toy 220 serves as the remote interactive media in this first example.This toy is able to make sound and change actions according to theinstructions received from the central control unit. The client 204 is achild, while the user 202 of the central control unit 102 is the mom.The main control module 210 is installed on the mom's cell phone 206.The mom interacts with the main control module to control the toy 220 tosend out information to the child; the toy collects the audio-visualinformation of the client side (the child) and sends it to the maincontrol module 210 on the mom's cell phone. The child can also send acommunication request or command, which can be implicitly activated viathe child's interactions with the toy (e.g., the child may greet the toyas if it were a real person), to the toy. Such requests will be sent bythe toy 220 to the central control unit 102. Compared with toys thathave fixed preset software, this toy, as the remote interactive media inthe present system, although also has preset software and instructions,mainly conveys the idea and the instructions of the mom's which are notpreset and can only be captured and rendered at the run time via realtime interactions. This new method of communication enables moreintelligent, proper, real-time, and diversified interactions andfeedback between the mom and the child, improving the communication,with the mom controlling the toy via the central control unit overnetwork 208. This is completely different from traditional interactionmechanisms enabled by preset artificial intelligence software, bringingunprecedented new experience to children and enabling the mom to reachthe inner world of the child. Also this toy can collect the audio-visualinformation on the client side and sends it to the central control unit,not only facilitating the mom to react properly but also enabling her tomonitor the child's safety.

Implementation Example 2

In this example, the remote interactive media 104 is a virtual doll gamesoftware installed on a computer 220 or a tablet PC 220. This softwarepresents a virtual doll through which to communicate with the clientside child. This virtual doll can sound and act according the receivedinstructions from the central control unit 102. The client 204 is achild, and the user of the central control unit is the mom. The maincontrol module software is installed on the mom's cell phone or computer206. Through interacting with the main control module software 210, themom controls the remote interactive media 104, the virtual dollsoftware, to send out messages, and at the same time to collect theclient side child's feedback information, as well as the audio-visualinformation on the client side, and transmit it back to the main controlmodule 210. Under the mom's control, the virtual doll character is ableto interact with the child more directly, improving communications,bringing the child new experience, and enabling the mom to reach theinner world of the child. Also this toy can collect the audio-visualinformation on the client side and sends it to the central control unit,not only facilitating the mom to react properly but also enabling her tomonitor the child's safety.

Implementation Example 3

A toy 220 serves as the remote interactive media. This toy 220, uponreceiving instructions from the central control unit 102 over a network208, can make sound and perform actions. The client 204 is a child withautism, while the user 202 of the central control unit 102 is themedical team. The main control module software 210 is installed on thecomputer 206 of the medical team. Via the main control module software210, the doctor controls the toy to send out information, collects theaudio-visual data from the client side child who has autism and sendssuch data to the main control module software 210. The communicationwith the child 204 is conducted through role-playing in various types offorms of presentations including actions, sounds and audio-optics, etc.This way of role-playing via remote interactive media, with the user(e.g., adults) behind the scene, makes it easier to reach the innerworld of the child, especially of those with autism. An immediatebenefit is better and more effective communication between adults (e.g.,the medical team) and children, improving treatment outcome.

Implementation Example 4

Multiple toys 220 serve as remote interactive media in this example.Each toy 220 can make sounds and perform actions according to theinstructions received from the central control unit 102. The clients 204are students who are studying English. The user 202 of the centralcontrol unit 102 is the teacher. The main control module software 210 isinstalled on the teacher's computer. Via interacting with the maincontrol module 210, the teacher communicates in English with the clients(students) using different voices via controlling different toys 220.The toys 220 collect the students' audio-visual data and transmit themto the teacher's main control module software. There can be multipleteachers controlling multiple different remote interactive media (toys)via which to communicate with students in English. Such kind of arole-playing will greatly improve the teaching efficacy.

To better implement the abovementioned method, this system 200implements the following method aspects:

This system includes the client side remote interactive media and thecorresponding central control unit that controls the client side. Theremote interactive media includes the power module 222, the interactionmodule 224 and the control module 230. The interaction module 224 iscontrolled by the control module 230, including multimedia interactiondevice 226 and the action interaction device 228. The control module 230has wireless communication capability, and thus, the control module 230receives the data collected by the interaction module 226, and thecontrol module 230 sends such received data to the central control unit102, receives the message and/or instructions from the central controlunit 102 and transmits such message to the interaction module 228. Thepower module 222 provides power supply to the interaction and thecontrol modules 224 and 230.

The central control unit 102 includes the main control module software210 which communicates with the control module 230 of the interactivemedia 104 via the wireless network 208 (for example), receivesinformation from the control module 230 of the remote interactive media104, and sends control instructions and messages to the control module230 (similar to the instructions and messages discussed above).

The remote interactive media 104 and the central control unit 102mentioned in this disclosure both have a voice-changer module (notshown). The voice-changer module alters the received voice data so thatthe client does not recognize the voice of the user. In this regard, thevoice may be increased in frequency or pitch to match the sound of thetoy.

The main control module software 210 supports multiple platforms and canbe installed on any electronic device (e.g., a phone) that has internetaccess and can be installed with such software.

The multimedia interaction user device 206 may include video cameras,other cameras, one or more microphones, speakers or any otherinput/output devices, as previously mentioned.

The action interaction device or apparatus 220 may include variousdevices, including acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, obliquitysensors, electric motor and its associated mechanical structure (wherethe electric motor controls its associated mechanical structure), LEDlights, infrared sensors, or any other device—each of which works withthe modules of the remote interactive media 104 to send data remotely tothe central control unit 102.

For example, in the 1^(st) implementation example, the toy 220 containsan electric motor and its associated mechanical structure. The motorcontrols the mechanical structure; the control module receivesinformation and instructions, performs analysis, and sends instructionsto the motor. For example, if the mom sees the child make a big yawn,she can send a ‘yawn’ instruction from the user device 206 (via thecentral control unit 102) to the remote interactive media 104 of the toy220 which then the toy 220 yawns in response thereto and the toy 220also tells the child that he/she is also drowsy and would like to go tosleep together with the child in response thereto. The language the toyspeaks can be preset, or could be whatever the mom says, delivered tothe child via the voice-changer module in the main control modulesoftware. When the child 204 is talking to the toy 220, the toy 220 cantransmit the video of the child talking to the mom's cell phone 206, andthe mom can control the toy to react to the child properly and promptly.If the mom is busy, she can control the toy 220 to tell the child that“I am having a rest,” making the child 204 think that the toy 220 isalive and easing the communication between the mom 202 and the child 204anytime and anywhere they want.

In the 3^(rd) implementation example, the toy 220 has a pressure sensorand an obliquity sensor (elements 234). The medical team can tell themental status of the child 204 with autism through analyzing theinformation such as the reaction of the child 204 to the toy 220, howintensely the child bangs the toy, etc. Then the medical team cancommunicate with the child 204 via role play, e.g. by saying “You hurtme! Why did you do that to me?”, and adjust the toy's reaction accordingto the child's reaction. For example, if the child 204 likes someparticular color of light, or a particular move of the toy, the controlmodule 102 can adjust the toy 220 accordingly after receiving theinstruction from the user 202 and transmits such instruction to theremote interactive media 104 of the toy 220. With this way ofnon-invasive role-playing, we can improve the communication and mutualunderstanding with the child.

This disclosure also provides use instructions for the abovementionedsystem.

The steps of method 300 to follow in using the said system according tosome embodiments:

Step 1: The user of the central control unit establishes a connectionbetween the main control module and the remote interactive media on theinternet via wireless network. Or, the client side establishes aconnection between the remote interactive media and the central controlunit on the Internet via wireless network (step 302).

Step 2: The user sends information and/or instructions to the remoteinteractive media via the main control module software (step 304).

Step 3: The remote interactive media collects the data and/orinstructions from the client side and transmits it to the centralcontrol unit (step 306).

Step 4: The remote interactive media, using the embedded software,reacts to the information and/or instructions from 2); Steps 2), 3), and4) can be initiated at about the same time, with no specific order tofollow (step 308), according to one embodiment. In another embodiment,step 2) is performed before step 3). However, the present inventionshould not be limited to the timing of performing of the steps.

Prior to Step 1), there may also be an initialization step applied tothe remote interactive media.

Step 3) includes collecting audio-visual information and the sensor datavia the interaction module and sending such data to the central controlunit

Step 4) includes the control module controlling the action interactiondevice to perform appropriate actions.

Step 4) includes the control module controlling the multimediainteraction device to make sounds.

Step 2) includes the control module controlling the multimediainteraction device to change the voice/sound emitted according to theneeds.

In this disclosure, the user 202 connects the main control modulesoftware 210 to the controlled remote interactive media 104 via wirelessnetwork, 208 to send via the main control module software messages andinstructions to the remote interactive media 104. At the same time, theremote interactive media 104 collects information and sends it to thecentral control unit 102. The central control unit 102 is controlled byreal people, and can better communicate with the controlled side remoteinteractive media 104 and present the real user's feedback via the mediain its own (different) way, making the interaction more interesting andcompletely different from traditional interactive media.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present invention may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

All of the above description is some optimized implementation method anddesign choices. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrativeonly of the principals of the invention. Further, since numerousmodifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in theart, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact compositionand use shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modificationsand equivalents may be restored to, falling within the scope of thisinvention.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinationsof special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments ofthe invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the”are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that theterms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to embodiments of the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of embodiments ofthe invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of embodiments of the invention and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand embodiments of the invention for various embodiments withvarious modifications that are suited to the particular usecontemplated.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that anyarrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may besubstituted for the specific embodiments shown and that embodiments ofthe invention have other applications in other environments. Thisapplication is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of thepresent invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limitthe scope of embodiments of the invention to the specific embodimentsdescribed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication method through remote interactivemedia, comprising: providing a remote interactive media that is eitherreal or virtual media and is located on an apparatus that is located atthe client side, providing a central control unit on a user-controllerclient side at a user's device, wherein a user controls the apparatusremotely from the user's device located at the user side such that theapparatus at the client side and the user's device at the user side areremote from each other; sending, from the central control unit of theuser's device, instructions or messages through the central controlunit, to control the remote interactive media to instruct the apparatusto perform actions and to send information from the apparatus to theuser's device, and at the same time as the sending the instructions ormessages, the remote interactive media collects the information andinstructions from the apparatus and sends the collected information andcollected instructions to the central control unit of the user's device.2. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the information that canbe sent out by the remote interactive media includes sound, action, andaudio-optical information.
 3. The communication method of claim 1,wherein the information that can be collected by the remote interactivemedia includes video, audio, and sensor information.
 4. Thecommunication method of claim 1, wherein the central control unit and/orremote interactive media applies a voice changing operation on the soundinformation sent by the user through the central control unit.
 5. Aremote interaction system comprising a central control unit; and acontrolled side remote interactive media that is remote from the centralcontrol unit and comprises a power module, an interaction module and acontrol module, wherein the interaction module is controlled by thecontrol module and comprises a multimedia interaction device and anaction interaction device, wherein the control module has a wirelesscommunication function, receives the information collected by theinteraction module, sends the information to the central control unit,receives information or instructions from the central control unit andtransmits the information or instructions to the interaction module,wherein the power module provides power supply to the interaction andthe control modules, and wherein the central control unit includes amain control module software which communicates with the control moduleof the said media via a network, receives the information from thecontrol module and sends instructions and information to the controlmodule in the remote interactive media.
 6. The remote interaction systemof claim 5, wherein the remote interactive media or the central controlunit comprises a voice changer module.
 7. The remote interaction systemof claim 5, wherein the main control module software supportsmulti-platforms and is installed on an electronic device that connectsto the Internet and allows installation of control software.
 8. Theremote interaction system of claim 5, wherein the multimedia interactiondevice includes at least one of a video camera, a microphone, a speaker,an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, or an obliquity sensor. 9.The remote interaction system of claim 5, wherein the multimediainteraction device includes a video camera, a microphone, a speaker, andat least one sensor.
 10. The remote interaction system of claim 5,wherein the action device includes an electric motor and its associatedmechanical structure that is controlled by the electric motor.
 11. Theremote interaction system of claim 5, wherein the said interactionmodule includes LED lights or an infrared sensor.
 12. The remoteinteraction system of claim 5, wherein the controlled side remoteinteractive media is embedded in a child's toy.
 13. A method of using aremote interaction system comprises: establishing a connection, using aprocessor, between a main control module software of a user device and aremote interactive media of an apparatus via a wireless network, whereinthe user device and apparatus are separate devices on the network;sending, via a main control module software of the user device,information and instructions to the remote interactive media;collecting, at the remote interactive media, the information andinstructions from the remote interactive media and transmitting the datato the central control unit of the user device; and using an embeddedsoftware program at the apparatus, controlling the apparatus to reactaccording to the information or instructions.
 14. The method of usingthe remote interaction system of claim 13, further comprising initiatingan initialization process applied to the remote interactive media priorto the establishing a connection.
 15. The method of using the remoteinteraction system of claim 13, wherein the sending comprises a centralcontrol unit of the user device controlling the apparatus to change thesound/voice emitted by the device according to the needs.
 16. The methodof using the remote interaction system of claim 13, wherein thecollecting includes collecting video, audio, and sensor information viathe interaction module and transmits such information to the maincontrol module software.
 17. The method of using the remote interactionsystem of claim 13, wherein the controlling includes a central controlunit controlling the action interaction device to perform actions. 18.The method of using the remote interaction system of claim 13, whereinthe controlling includes a central control unit controlling themultimedia interaction device to generate sound and voice.
 19. A methodof a medical user to interact with a patient, comprising: providing atoy to the patient, wherein a remote interactive media is embedded inthe toy; sending, from a hardware processor of a user's device of themedical user, instructions or messages through a central control unit ofthe user's device to control the remote interactive media of the toy toinstruct the toy to perform actions, and at the same time as the sendingthe instructions or messages, the remote interactive media collectsinformation from the toy about the patient for diagnosis purposes andsends the collected information and collected instructions to thecentral control unit of the user's device.
 20. A method of a teacher torole-play with students learning to speak a language, comprising:providing a toy to the students, wherein a remote interactive media isembedded in the toy; sending, from a hardware processor of a device ofthe teacher, voice data of through a main control module software of theteacher's device to control the remote interactive media of the toy toinstruct the toy to speak using the voice data, and at the same time asthe sending the instructions or messages, the remote interactive mediacollects audio/video data from the toy about the students and sends thecollected audio/video data to the main control module software of theteacher's device.